Emergency
by Razz Amatazz73
Summary: Gwen needs both of them- she needs Ben to depend on her, and Kevin to make sure she's okay. And at the thought of losing Ben, she's not quite sure what she needs. Alien Force Hurt!Ben and Angsty!Gwen with a smidge of Gwevin if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes: I must be out of my mind, starting a new story when I've got so many unfinished ones to work on. But these stupid plot bunnies won't let me sleep, so I need to let them out before I go crazy. **

**The title comes from the Paramore song _Emergency_ (because I'm horrible at coming up with titles, it seemed to fit, and I've had it stuck in my head for about three days now). Not a songfic... I just thought it fit.**

_Thump._

Carl Tennyson quickly looked up at the ceiling, as if it would speak and say, "Yes, you're right- the loud noise you just heard came from upstairs."

Ignoring it, he went back to reading a book. Half a sentence in, he heard the noise again.

_Thump._

This was getting extremely irritating now. What was going on? It was one in the morning; no one was awake, as far as he knew. Sandra, his wife, had fallen asleep watching television hours ago, and he couldn't bear to wake her up. Turning off the tiny green plastic clip-on reading light his teenage son Ben had given to him for his birthday, Carl paused and looked at his wife, fast asleep on the black leather couch. He set his book down on the glass coffee table and stumbled through the dark room. Brushing aside the angel-covered throw blanket covering her face, he kissed her on the cheek, wondering why she hadn't heard whatever sounds that were coming from upstairs.

And then he realized that it was silent again, right after he moved. Confused, Carl attempted to make his way across the room to the staircase, only to trip on the elegant Persian rug on the floor, landing flat on his face.

Darn it, he should have used the damn book light to see with.

"Carl?" his wife inquired, her voice rather groggy from sleep. "What time is it?"

"A little after one…" he replied. "Did you just hear something?"

"You mean my clumsy husband tripping ever-so gracefully? Why yes, I do believe I heard that," she tiredly answered with a coy smile.

"No, not that… I heard something upstairs."

"It's probably just Ben getting up to go to the bathroom or something, Carl."

"Sandra, it was pretty loud."

"He just inherited his father's grace, that's all. Now, I propose we go to bed. And not in front of the television."

Carl hesitantly agreed, but insisted that they check on Ben.

Making his way up the stairs (without tripping, this time), he turned the corner. "No, it doesn't look like Ben's up. I'll be over in a minute," he told his wife, whispering so as to not wake his son.

Entering the pitch-black room, he realized he didn't need to worry about Ben waking up after one look at his son.

"Sandra!" he shouted, his voice cracking a bit, "Call nine-one-one."

* * *

Gwen Tennyson woke up, hearing the piercing telephone ring run through her ears. She leaned up a bit to see the annoyingly bright red numbers on her digital alarm clock, and then let herself fall back onto her soft pillows. What moron would call her house at nearly two in the morning? She knew that it was summer and there was no school, but there was no reason for socializing in the middle of the night.

_Kevin_, she thought immediately, before letting herself fall back to sleep. Only moments later, she slept through the thundering of footsteps in the hallway outside her room.

The next thing she knew, her mother was shaking her awake. "Gwen, honey, wake up."

"What is it, Mom? Can't it wait 'til morning, when I'm conscious?"

Her mother shook her head. "It's Ben, honey."

Gwen sat up straight in bed, alerting her mother that she was listening.

"Ben's hurt, sweetie… He's in the hospital. We have to go…" her mother trailed off, already halfway out of the room.

She jumped out of bed, grabbing the first outfit she could find out of her closet, not even bothering to turn on the light and see if it matched. Ben was in the hospital… He was hurt, and she didn't know how bad, or why it happened… It couldn't be too bad, right? Ben fought aliens everyday. There were always bruises and scratches, but Ben was a tough guy. He could handle himself. Gwen didn't want to think too much right now; not about how close they had become (a far cry from the annoying love-hate relationship from years past), not how much he meant to her.

So she cleared everything out of her mind. It wasn't until the redhead was fully dressed, teeth and hair brushed, that she got up the courage to ask the question whose answer she'd been dreading.

"Mom?" she shouted out of the bathroom.

"Hmm?" her mother answered from across the hall.

"What happened?"

No answer.

"Mom, what happened?" Gwen hollered again, shimmying past her somewhat distraught father as he entered and she exited the bathroom.

Coming face to face with her mother, Gwen's eyes pleaded for answers. What had happened to Ben, and why didn't her mother want to talk about it? Her mother had shiny tears running down her face, flickers of fear running through her eyes. They stood in silence for a moment.

Frank Tennyson stuck his head outside of the bathroom and broke through the quiet, looking his sorrowful wife in the eye. "Maybe I should tell her, dear," he said with a slight quiver in his voice.

Gwen turned to her father, seeing the same fear running through his gaze. Were they afraid that whatever happened to Ben would happen to her? What made her parents so afraid? Ben couldn't be dead… But why were they being so… quiet?

Frank led his daughter to her room and sat on the slightly rumpled bed, the sign of someone who hadn't had the time to finish messing up the bed during sleep.

"Dad…" Gwen whispered, sucking in air, bracing herself.

"It looks like he tried to kill himself, Gwen."

All the air she had inhaled came out quickly and painfully, and she heard a sob rip from somewhere. Not Ben… He was so levelheaded, so strong, so…

It wasn't until she was forced to inhale again that she realized the sob she heard came from her, and that her father, still clad in his gaudily plaid but soft robe, held her in his arms.

But why wasn't she reassured?

* * *

Gwen swept her long, hastily brushed hair out of her eyes as she looked through the backseat window of her father's shiny new car.

She had been thinking the same thing as she left the house- what did everything look like when you knew it was the last time you would see it? Gwen thought of the subtle shadows in her dark kitchen as she sprint out the door, and the not-so-hidden "no-tell motels" along the highway with their signs mentioning "cable TV," so brightly lit that you think you can see every speck of dirt on it with one glance. She remembered what Ben always said about them- about the fact that there probably wasn't any neon in the "no" part of the "no vacancy" sign, because they were never full. Another memory of him…

Was she just noticing these things because she was afraid Ben would never have the chance to again? Or was she wondering what he had seen when he looked at her that last time, knowing that she had no clue what he had planned for himself?

All of the thoughts Gwen had tried to ignore earlier had resurfaced; it was stronger than before now that she knew what was going on. What had she done wrong to keep Ben from getting hurt? She had a mothering instinct to her, and she needed him to need her. Gwen needed to be as calm as she could in many situations, to keep Ben and Kevin calm. She needed Ben to talk to her, to tell her his problems. It made her feel useful, loved. Why hadn't Ben come to her this time?

And right now, she needed to hold her cousin in her arms, like her father had earlier.

But she immediately was shocked at herself earlier. For the first time, she wasn't reassured by her father's loving hugs and embraces. What if Ben had lost that same reassurance? What did she do?

So many questions! But so few answers…

Letting her green eyes zone out to the dark streets outside, she faintly heard her father speaking on his cell phone.

As he snapped the phone shut, she jumped in her seat, snapping back to reality.

"Well," Frank stated, "we have a bit more of an update."

His wife turned to him from the passenger's seat. "Good news?"

"Some. Well, no. Umm… The situation's not as bad as we originally thought."

Gwen, who had braced herself for bad news, though curious, was not relieved. She would not be so stupid this time- she wouldn't be so optimistic.

"They don't think he tried to commit suicide, now. Carl said he found Ben unconscious in bed, with his wrists bleeding and a gash on his head."

Gwen let herself breathe. She had worried for nothing! But Ben was still hurt… and she didn't know why.

But… what if someone got to him? Their alien-fighting life and their home life did not mesh often. She was nervous again, but not as nervous as she had been before when she thought that Ben did it to himself.

"He heard some noises, so he checked on Ben. That's when they found him. They're thinking there was a struggle…."

_That's my Ben,_ Gwen thought.

"What changed, Dad?" she inquired.

"Well, they found some of Ben's blood on a textbook on the bottom of a textbook on the desk. And one of the cuts on his wrist looks like it was done by accident… They think it's something about that watch Ben wears… The one we saw when he turned into an alien when Grandma Verdona visited?"

Everything immediately clicked.

"So someone knocked out Ben to get the Omnitrix, but ran into trouble when they tried to get it off. They must have accidentally cut his wrist, so they cut the other one to throw off suspicion when they heard movement downstairs, when Ben's dad got up…" she blurted out, not pausing to explain what the Omnitrix was or why Ben always wore it. They got the idea of it, that it turned him into aliens.

Her parents looked confused.

Gwen sighed. "Is Ben going to be okay?"

Relived that he actually was in the know for something, her father replied, "They think so. The cut on his right wrist was much deeper than the one on his left. He lost a bit of blood, between that, the cut on his other wrist, and the gash on his head. He hasn't woken up yet," he added, answering Gwen's next, but unspoken, question.

So Ben was going to be okay. He was hurt, and unconscious, but still okay.

* * *

"Kevin?"

"What the hell do you want, Gwen! It's freaking three in the morning, for crying out loud!" the sixteen-year-old cried out, somewhat groggy, as Gwen had been only an hour before.

"Kevin, Ben's in the hospital."

"Yeah? So, what did the moron do this time? Trip over the carpet while trying to go to the bathroom? That's what the _light_ is for, Gwen."

"Kevin! I just got a call saying that Ben tried to kill himself."

"_What?_ Didn't know he had it in him..." Kevin muttered. He heard the "tried," so he assumed that Ben's suicide attempt had been unsuccessful, allowing a wisecrack.

"Hey! Don't be so worried. They don't think it was suicide, Kevin," she replied, letting the sarcasm ooze from her mouth. She'd been sitting in the waiting room for a while, but she couldn't begin to fathom what her Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra were going through right then. They'd been there for nearly two hours. Apparently, they were waiting for Ben to be moved into a room... It was taking forever, so she slipped outside to call Kevin.

"Is that so?" But he sounded a little concerned, so she let it pass. She explained the situation to him, not leaving anything out.

"But there are a _ton_ of people after the Omnitrix, Gwen, how could you possibly narrow it down?"

She didn't know.

"Wait a second," Kevin said under his breath. "Who'd be so stupid to try and _cut_ off the Omnitrix? That's pretty idiotic. No wonder Ben got cut up in the process."

"That just means that we're dealing with..."

"A dumbass," Kevin interrupted.

"I was going to say someone new or not very knowlegeable, but..." Gwen trailed off.

"I'll see what I can find out, Gwen. Are you okay?" he inquired, seeming more concerned all of a sudden.

"I already told you, Ben's fine, Kevin-"

"Not Ben. You."

It was the first time she had been asked that.

"I'll be okay when I know Ben's back to normal."

There was an awkward silence for a moment. And although he didn't say it, she knew he was thinking, _Okay, I tried, to take care of her, Tennyson! _But she didn't care about herself. At least, not right then.

"Well... okay. I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow, then." said Kevin.

"Don't you mean today?"

"Gwen. Three a.m."

"Alright, I'll let you get your beauty rest."

"Ha, ha. G'night."

"Good morning, Kevin."

"You... infuriate me sometimes, y'know that, Gwen?"

"'Infuriate'? Did you learn a new word, Kevin?"

Kevin pretended to growled, and then hung up.

Oh, she knew Kevin would be a good distraction.

Gwen walked back into the waiting room, only to notice that the Tennysons (her parents and Ben's parents) were no where to be found.

After getting directions from a nurse, the redhead stepped into the elevator and pressed the correct button. She found herself actually wishing for that annoying elevator music- anything would be better than the prolonged silences she kept experiencing.

Her mother ambushed her as soon as the elevator stopped. "Oh, Gwen! Where were you?"

"Mom, it's fine. I just called Kevin to let him know what was going on."

Frank walked up to his frowning wife, and said, "Well, she's here now."

Ah, Gwen knew she could count on her dad to bail her out.

"Good news, Gwen," her father said, "you can see Ben now. We were already in, and..."

She stopped listening, and just followed. Immediately after he spoke, Gwen lost every spark of good spirt left in her. Walking into a sickingly modern waiting room (the builders tried too hard- like no one could see through the quickly chosen forest green furniture, beige walls, and purple geometric carpet to see the overwhelming_ hospital_), she began to panic.

There was no more time to think, as she found herself alone at the door of a small hospital room. The first thing she noticed was that Ben's room was stark white. It looked as if the curtains had be starched, they were so stiff, and Gwen found herself longing- no, aching!- for a speck of the pathetically comforting color from the waiting room.

He looked asleep, she thought. Almost normal. Except, of course, for the gauze on his forehead, covering a gash, and the bandages wound around his arms. But there were no machines or IVs, and she knew he'd be fine. She plopped down next to a very exhausted Uncle Carl in a chair right next to the bed.

"You look tired, Uncle Carl."

"I am. I stayed up reading until I heard..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

They gave each other a knowing look. They knew he'd be okay... But it was not a fun topic to talk about.

"I'll stay here for a while. Why don't you get try to catch some Z's in the waiting room? The couch looks comfy."

He rolled his eyes. "Yipee, orange pleather, here I come."

"It is a bit tacky, isn't it?"

Carl chuckled. "That it is, Gwen."

He left the room, leaving Gwen alone with her cousin. Once he left, she moved the chair closer to the bed.

She wasn't a bit tired, actually. She was just so glad Ben was okay. She felt peaceful, sitting next to him like that, stroking his dark hair, holding his hand... She felt complete again. As Gwen's mothering instincts kicked in, she loved every second of it. She needed someone to need her...

And then, without warning, Ben's eyes fluttered open. "Gwen?" he whispered, sounding slightly weak.

Oh, she was so happy to see his bright green eyes, so much like her own, open again!

"Ben!"

Before she knew it, her arms were around him. And for the first time since she found out Ben was hurt, she let herself cry.

**Author's notes: Now, I'm not sure how often I'll update, but the plot bunnies are torturing me so much that I hope it's once a week. I'm planning some light GwEvin, with this being a huge Gwen fic. I don't think we see her emotions that much on the show, so it'll be fun exploring that. And it contains lots of Ben!Angst, which I LOVE. So, make me happy and go write Ben!Angst fics!  
**

**Please review, and I'll give you a cookie! (Kevin likes black and white cookies!) **

**-Marty :-D  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: Tip of the day: DO NOT play guitar for two hours and then expect to write a 3,000 word chapter. Or more, which is what this chapter ended up being. **

**I think that explains why this chapter is a week late.**

**Thanks for all of the great reviews! You guys rock- you guys are what make me write on a (sort of) regular schedule! Keep it up!**

"So how is he?" a somewhat lackadaisical voice inquired, implying that its owner didn't really care about the subject but was only asking for the sake of it.

The sound of metal clanking together and a softly playing radio created a weird sort of background music all its own, charming and annoying Gwen as she spoke to Kevin on the phone yet again. "Same as when you left him at lunch. Bored. He wants out of here really bad."

"He actually said that?"

Gwen shifted her gaze to the sleeping form in the hospital bed to her left. He looked so peaceful, abet the cuts and fading bruises from adventures past.

But she couldn't help but be afraid for him. What if the person (Was it a person? Or was it a thing?) who attacked Ben found him again, and left him even worse for wear? What if they-

She was done with her paranoid thoughts. Ben would be fine.

Ben regained consciousness shortly after she came, but he kept falling asleep. She didn't have the heart to wake him up more than she had to (every hour for the concussion), but she found herself desperately needing to hear his voice every once and a while. Just to make sure he was okay. To be honest, she was quite exhausted herself- Gwen had been at her cousin's side since early morning, and it was now mid-afternoon.

Kevin came by for a half hour when he had his lunch break from the garage, looking slightly uncomfortable but cracking jokes, forcing smiles on everyone's faces and irritance into each of their minds.

"Of course he didn't," Gwen replied, stifling a rather large yawn with her hand, then shaking out her tired limb. "He can't keep his eyes open for more than twenty minutes at a time, I swear!"

Silence, except for the music and sounds of the men at the car garage working. She could faintly hear some other workers cursing at each other, and Kevin shouting, "Wrong oil, idiot!" to someone, and then a soft chuckle.

"Sorry, Gwen- I have to go and teach these moron forty-year-old guys how to fix cars," he finally replied. "Try to get some sleep- he's gonna be alright, Gwen."

She was puzzled. He was acting so out of character- since when did he care about Ben?

"Why are you being so nice?" she finally blurted out, confused.

"I do believe that someone woke me up in the middle of the night. I'm too tired for comebacks."

He sounded perfectly awake to her. She'd seen him not sleep for two days at a time.

Why didn't he just say he was worried about her? Gwen was almost more irritated that he wouldn't admit he liked her than the fact that Kevin probably wouldn't care about the situation with Ben so much if she wasn't freaking about about it. But Kevin's motives weren't important right now; she had other things to be concerned about.

"Whatever. See you later, Kevin."

"Yup."

_Click._

What was wrong with that guy? He was in a little aura of happiness all of a sudden. Kevin had just started a new job at as a mechanic at a car garage in town, and she knew he loved having more knowledge about something than the other guys did. He was the youngest worker there at sixteen, but he had more experience and car smarts in him than most of the other men who worked there. Kevin was so good, he had been promoted twice already since he began working there two weeks ago, when Ben and Gwen's schools closed for the summer. Gwen was starting to understand Ben's preoccupation with soccer; did all men need something-a hobby, per se- to be obsessed with?

So Gwen knew why he was so happy, but it was getting on her nerves a bit. Maybe it was because he was happy, and she wasn't included in it- and she didn't like it one bit. She _did_, however, love how he smelled when he got off work. If only he would hold her, giving her the chance to smell it closer, letting her bury her nose into his strong, muscular chest. But he insisted on being a moron, and _refused to ask her out_! It was a surprisingly pleasant yet somehow noxious aroma, combining oil, grease, sweat, cigarettes, Cheetos, and Mountain Dew into a sweetly weird and wonderful cologne that no department store could ever dream of producing. She wasn't even sure they were capable of making anything without a designer label, fruity or floral ingredients, and a glass bottle. Come to think of it, how could a fragile beaker of spraying liquid be so pungent? The tiny bottle could spray scents that could make even the strongest of noses burn, but could shatter in an instant.

Almost like Ben.

At the thought of her injured cousin, Gwen snapped shut her cell phone and threw herself into the annoyingly uncomfortable chair. Ben just looked so exhausted, so tired…

She found herself stroking his hair again. The boy's icy white skin was still covered in yellowing bruises, and thin cuts… But Gwen couldn't stop herself from staring at the long, flesh colored bandages wrapped around his muscular arms. She knew what they hid. And then there was the Omnitrix. Why had there not been any questions about that? She felt like crying all over again.

He was so pale, so fragile, so frail…

But he wasn't really, and she knew that. Ben had always seemed unbreakable. How many times had she seen him bruised and sore, but got right back up? Who else had endured long hours of soccer practice, and then stayed up until the late hours of the night to fight aliens, transforming into one himself?

Ben had. Ben was not weak. He would not let this one event get him down.

But she still couldn't shake the idea that she could have lost him. What if Uncle Carl hadn't been up? What if Ben had been found the next morning, dead from blood loss?

Gwen shuddered. It hadn't quite been an hour since he fell asleep, but she needed to talk to him.

"Ben?" she said softly, getting up and then gently jiggling his bandage-wrapped arm back and forth. "Ben?"

He gave a short, quiet moan, and let his green eyes open. She watched as his sleepy, glazed-over gaze transformed into alert and awake. "An hour already?" He yawned.

She sat on the edge of his bed by his feet. "Not quite."

Giving a small, but still weak, smile, he said, "You look tired, Gwen. Go home, 'cuz. I'll be fine without Mama Gwen looking out for me for a few hours."

Something about the way he said it created an explosion of a tenuous mood in the room.

"Really, Gwen. I'm okay."

"I know you are," she said, almost trying to convince herself. She took his hand in hers. "I was so afraid, Ben," she found herself blurting out.

"Shhhhh…" he whispered, taking his cousin into his arms to comfort her. "You know I would never…" he stopped, trailing off to spare both their feelings.

Gwen pulled back slightly to look into his matching green eyes. "I know, Ben. But I was so worried. I don't want to lose you, Ben."

She knew he had never felt comfortable talking about death, especially since Max. "I know it doesn't look like it right now," Ben said, with a slight smirk, "but I'm not going anywhere. Except home. Hopefully soon. I hate this place with a passion."

There he was! There was the Ben she knew and loved. "I know you do, Ben. But you're going to have to suck it up for at least another day."

He frowned, and then slowly let his mouth transform into a smile. Oh, Gwen knew that if she could see him smile like that every day, she'd be fine.

"By the way, Ben, where's Julie?" Gwen was a little perplexed at the fact that they had not heard one word from Ben's girlfriend. Shouldn't she be there, throwing herself at her boyfriend's side? Well, Julie wasn't quite that dramatic, but her absence from the whole was still odd.

"Vacation. I told my mom and dad not to bother her- she'll find out soon enough," he replied, stoically enough, but hiding a tiny bit of desperate longing somewhere in his voice.

Getting up from the bed, she grinned, hoping to bring that smile back. "Oh. Well, I'll let you kick me out. But get some rest, okay?"

He chuckled. "No worries about that," he replied, yawning for effect. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Fine then- but call me if you need me, okay? I'll swing by later with Kevin to check up on you."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Mister Levin. How is he doing?"

"You saw him earlier, moron."

"But I wasn't exactly _awake_ earlier to have a cohesive conversation now, was I?"

Gwen shook her head and turned to leave the strikingly stark white hospital room, the majority of her worries disintegrating. Ben would probably sleep his life away _anyway_, even if he hadn't been randomly attacked and left to bleed to death in his own bedroom.

With that thought, she suddenly didn't feel so comfortable. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that her cousin was already out cold. She sighed and turned the corner, walking straight into her uncle.

"Gwen, honey, what are you still doing here? Your parents left hours ago!" Carl exclaimed, channeling his worry for his hurt son into concern for his uninjured niece.

"I'm fine, Uncle Carl," the redhead answered. "Just a little tired. I'm going to head out, but I'll be back later to check up on Ben."

Carl suddenly had a look of suspicion on his face that was oddly familiar to the expression his son had plastered on only moments before. "How are you planning to get home?"

Since when was Uncle Carl the voice of reason? She often found that her Aunt and Uncle were too liberal with Ben, who actually agreed with his cousin on the matter. Why was he concerned?

"Ummm… Er… I was going to get a ride from Kevin, actually," she admitted.

Some traces of skepticism left his face, but his niece was not convinced. "Oh, well, okay then," he said, turning to Ben's room.

But Gwen stuck out an arm to stop him. "Why?" she inquired, vocalizing her thoughts.

Carl's suspicious appearance abruptly transformed into a serious one. "I'm not quite sure why, but Ben has a lot of bruises. Some that look pretty old."

Ah, so that was why! She had been wondering when those sort of questions would pop up. "Uncle Carl…" Gwen started, not quite sure how much she should tell him.

But he put up a hand to stop her. "I know some of what Ben does. Not as much as I'd like to, but at the same time more than I want to. I'm not going to try and stop you kids," Carl explained.

She was slightly taken aback, but managed to say, "You're not?"

Carl shook his head. "No, I'm not."

There was a bit of silence for a moment, until Gwen spoke again. "He's going to be alright, Uncle Carl. You'll see- he's strong," she said, half trying to convince herself again, but hoping her voice didn't convey that.

He gave a small, sheepish smile. "That's what worries your aunt and I to death."

With that, he turned and attended to his sleeping son, while Gwen yanked out her cell phone to call Kevin for a ride.

* * *

"I wasn't aware that one had to get a shower and change clothes to go visit someone in the hospital," Kevin said as he opened the passenger side door of his green sports car.

_And I wasn't aware that one had to open the door for a girl that isn't their girlfriend_, Gwen mused, and ignored him. She had a hard time falling asleep, but found herself wide awake at 7:00 when it was time for Kevin to pick her up. But she found herself having a hard time adjusting her eyes to the light; it was like walking out of a movie theater when it was dark, having gotten there while it was still daytime. Grandpa Max had a name for that, but she couldn't remember what it was. How she wished she had appreciated him when he was still there…

Gwen plopped down in the seat, tightly clutching a plastic container of yogurt-covered pretzels as she buckled herself in.

"Those for me?" Kevin asked with a devilish smile as he climbed into the driver's seat, buckled up, and started the car..

Gwen gave him an annoyed glance. "No. I thought you hated these, anyway."

"I don't when I haven't eaten dinner and you bought them for someone else."

Rolling her eyes, she pulled out a slightly-melted chocolate bar from her purse and tossed it on the dashboard, wincing at the fact that it landed a little harder than she had wanted it to.

"Thanks," he said, and although he'd never let her know it, he was only partially being sarcastic. _Maybe I should get myself half-killed_, he joked to himself.

Tennyson didn't look particularly good earlier, semi-conscious as he was. He hated hospitals, and as much as Ben annoyed him, he didn't want the kid hurt. Unless he was the one doing the hurting. Kevin teased his friend (if they could call each other that) to no end, but it was startling to see him so weak. He would never let anyone know that, though.

Once on the road, Gwen realized that she wasn't sure she had been alone with Kevin in the car for this long before. She suddenly felt exhilarated and oddly comfortable at the same time.

"So…" she started, hoping to spark some conversation.

"Yeah?" Kevin replied, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Have you figured anything out yet?"

Kevin frowned. He really hadn't had time to figure anything out yet. "No."

In all honesty, he'd been wondering the same thing himself. Who had attacked Ben? And who had been stupid and idiotic enough to try and cut it off? Unless…

"Maybe they didn't really want the Omnitrix," he muttered.

"What?" Gwen asked, startled.

He repeated the statement. "What if they just wanted our attention?"

"But who?"

"I don't know, Gwen, I don't know."

He pulled into the hospital visitor parking garage for the second time that day, winding through all of the levels until he found a spot on the second to last floor. Hoping out of the car, Kevin locked all the doors and caught up to Gwen, who had already made her way to the dark elevator.

Kevin didn't like to see her like that- worried. She seemed to be looking at everything and nothing, holding on to the container of yogurt-covered pretzels as if something would happen if she let go.

They remained silent as they wandered through the halls of the hospital. By now, they both knew where the elevator they should take was, and which floor Ben was on.

Getting sick of the quiet, Kevin finally asked the question that had been on his mind since early that morning when he got off with Gwen the first time. "Are you okay?"

She took a moment to answer. "No," she said honestly, and stepped off the elevator.

* * *

"I wanna go home!" Ben whined, his mouth half full with pretzels.

"Tomorrow, honey," his slightly aggravated mother answered from the corner.

Kevin, who was seated in a chair next to Gwen, could see that Ben's strength was returning- at full speed. "Tennyson, stop your griping."

Gwen was sitting on the bed at Ben's feet because all of the chairs were filled up in the small room. She wouldn't admit it, but she was just happy Ben was there to complain, and something about Kevin's tone made her think that he agreed.

They'd been there for a while; Kevin and Ben watched (and subsequently mocked) a movie on Lifetime, while Gwen halfheartedly pretended to contribute every now and then, while secretly enjoying watching Kevin look slightly annoyed and concerned about Ben when he was quiet for more than a few seconds.

Ah, her boys. She loved to have them with her in one place. She loved Ben because he was her cousin and because he said exactly what was on his mind. All the time. Whether anyone cared or not.

But she loved Kevin for a different reason. She loved him because she just had to know him to understand what he was thinking, and because she had to fight to get him to reveal his thoughts. As annoying as it could be sometimes. Especially when he was too stubborn to ask her out.

Gwen laughed quietly to herself, and glanced at Ben. He was asleep. Again. _You silly boy_, she thought.

Well, he'd be well rested for the next morning, when he was released.

Carl also seemed to notice that Ben was asleep. He'd seemed uneasy ever since they arrived, and Gwen desperately wanted to know why. "Kevin," he said, now that his son was fast asleep, "my wife and I have a proposition for you."

Now they were both truly perplexed. What did Ben's parents want?

"Yes, Mr. T?"

Gwen stifled a snort, her twitching mouth indicating to Kevin that he had succeeded in making her smile. _Score: Kevin Levin- 1, Asshole-who-attacked-Ben-and-made-Gwen-upset- 0._

Both Carl and Sandra smiled. They seemed worn out, and Gwen knew that they'd leave for the obnoxious waiting room soon to go to sleep. It was nice to see them happy, like they were only 24 hours ago, before everything happened.

"We know you have a car, and I understand you drive my son around sometimes, right?"

Kevin feigned a glare at the peacefully sleeping form lying in the hospital bed, extracting a giggle from Gwen. _Make that two points for Levin. _"Yep."

"Ben's been so… serious lately. And we know you…work with my son and my niece doing whatever it is you do," Sandra stated.

Kevin shot a curious look at Gwen, who shrugged. "They know a little about it, Kevin."

"Oh."

Four pairs of eyes seemed to trail to the watch on Ben's left arm, exposed from the bandages that stopped right before it.

"Well, we were wondering if you guys would like to take a road trip this summer. Hanging out, or doing whatever it is you guys do. Take some stress away from what's happened. I think both of you need it," Carl said, indicating both his son and Gwen.

"But Mr. Tennyson," said Kevin, now serious, "I'm not sure I have the-"

"We'll cover all expenses. Hotels, gas, food- everything for the summer. Ben just has to be back for soccer camp."

Kevin pondered for a minute. He'd have to quit his job. Or at least take a long unpaid vacation, promising to come back in the fall…

Was he thinking permanently? It had always been "Until we finish this case," or "Until we finish…whatever." But…

He wouldn't think about that right now. What he _would_ think about was the fact that it was free food, shelter, and gas for nearly three months. And that if they made some headway this summer, there wouldn't be much to do come fall…

And he could do as he pleased.

But he wouldn't think about that- nothing long term, at least for now.

"Okay, I'm in. Gwen?"

She was still looking at Ben, and Kevin realized that she was thinking the same thing he was-_Will hiding Ben really keep him safe?_

"If it's alright with my parents," Gwen answered quietly. The idea of a road trip, so much like the one she and Ben had with their grandfather a few years ago, was great. But her parents weren't nearly as liberal as Ben's were…

"They that it's fine, Gwen," Sandra said, smiling. "Oh, sweetie, I know this whole thing has been as hard for you as it has been for us."

Gwen nodded, and slowly got down from the bed, careful not to disrupt her sleeping cousin. She wouldn't miss this place- not a bit.

"Sounds good, Mr. and Mrs. T," Kevin said, rising to go with Gwen. The "T" thing was getting annoying now, so Kevin would make sure he said it as often as possible.

* * *

The ride home was silent, save for the sound of the turn signal to Kevin's car and Gwen's cell phone going off once- her parents asking when she was coming home, because it was getting late, and did her aunt and uncle bring up the "road trip" idea?

Yes, they had, and Gwen was still shocked she was allowed to go.

"You need it, honey," her mother said, and that was that.

Kevin pulled into her driveway, shutting off the car with its headlights and plunging them both into darkness, the only light coming from a plastic candle light in a window upstairs.

"Thanks, Kevin," Gwen said quietly, not moving to open the door yet.

"No problem, Gwen."

"No, really, Kevin. Thanks. For asking me how I felt. I guess I've been so worried about Ben, and…"

It was dark, but she was pretty sure she saw him nodding.

"Y'know, you don't always have to pretend you don't care, Kevin. Saying you do doesn't make everyone think any less of you, you know."

He was still quiet as he made his way to open her door.

But she didn't move from the seat other than to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Kevin…" she started to say, worried that he'd be angry with her.

But the next thing she felt was his lips on her cheek. It wasn't a full-on kiss, but she knew that she'd finally gotten through to him. She had sensed him getting, closer, the scent of his "cologne" getting stronger with every second.

"Thanks, Kevin," she said, her voice but a whisper.

He nodded, got back into his car, and drove off into the dark night.

**Author's notes: Well, I wasn't planning for that much romance so soon, but it's here! I haven't written a multi-chaptered story like this in so long- I'm actually surprised at what's coming out, both in length and in plot. I used to have to push myself to write 1,000 words (in middle school, of course), but now my goal is usually around 3,000 words. With this chapter, I cranked out 4,000 words without much coaxing. I like thinking I've grown since I started writing on here in 2004 (ah, my horrible Fairly Odd Parents writings at age 12... shudders).  
**

**And the Ben!angst is (mostly) resolved. For now. It'll be back- I'll be blunt. I like to torture poor Ben too much. **

**I'm glad you guys think I'm keeping Kevin in character; I find him terribly hard to write, because it's rather difficult to write someone who hides their feelings, is slightly comical/annoying, but sort of in love with someone without being horribly annoying. I just hope I can keep it up! **

**Now, please keep reviewing! And tell all of your friends to review! Yay, reviews! I love them- thanks to everyone who has given me a shout out so far.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes: Hey, everyone! Here's the next chapter of _Emergency_, for your reading pleasure. Not a lot of Ben!angst in this chapter, I'm afraid, but I promise you there will be more eventually.**

"A _road trip_?" a somewhat quiet, though still curious voice inquired.

"Yup. And can you believe that my parents actually agreed to this?" This voice was female, and slightly louder and calmer.

"Of course they did. I'll be babysitting you kids," a particularly lower and more bored voice boomed.

The first, weaker voice was Ben, still recovering from his short stint in the hospital, leaving the female voice Gwen, and the obnoxious… Well, it was Kevin.

They were in Ben's room for the first time since the "incident." Gwen had no idea when her Aunt Sandra had possibly had time to wash the sheets and clean every inch of her son's room until it shone. She was shocked that she felt okay being in Ben's room after what had happened, but she oddly felt nothing but relief as she flopped on her cousin's bed when she arrived.

It had been an exhausting few days, with Ben hospitalized, Gwen worrying, and Kevin… being Kevin.

But neither Gwen nor Kevin found themselves tired. Something had changed between them the night before, and although neither of them had spoken of it since, it was as if everything was different.

It wasn't, though. Nothing had changed, really. Except that she was positive he loved her now.

Stealing a quick glance at Kevin, who was sitting on the desk chair turned backwards, Gwen saw his playful demeanor provide instant support for her theory. Shifting her gaze to Ben, released from the hospital only hours before, she saw something different. An exhausted hardness, maybe, but she knew it was something deeper.

She knew what he was worrying about- his personal and alien-fighting life had collided, and he was terrified that it would happen again. But looking at her slightly shaken cousin, Gwen knew that he was not at all concerned for himself.

Why did they worry for her? Just looking at Ben's newly calm but silently fearful manner made her want to tackle him in a huge hug, bellowing at the top of her lungs that she'd be okay, and so would he, so would Kevin, and so would the world! But she couldn't just yet, and she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to.

He was something, that cousin of hers. What a sight he was! Sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall, with his knees tightly hugged against his chest. Even with his usual green jacket, she could see the ends of the bandages peeking out from under the green sleeves of his soccer jacket, and the bruises along the skin that showed. The gauze covering his forehead had been hastily discarded the moment he walked in the door, revealing a deep gash trailing in a straight line from the corner of his left eyebrow. He looked tired, but not like the day before when he would pass out mid-conversation.

"Earth to Gwen?" Ben said, waving a hand in front of her face. His voice was meant to sound a little annoyed, but it was too gentle to pull it off.

She let out a small chuckle at his accidental tone and eased back into the conversation. "I do believe you are barely a year older than us Kevin. I will have you know we turn sixteen next month, so guess who gets to take us to get our permits!"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Oh, goody."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Goody?"

"I doubt you'll be able to get an 'A' on your physical in the shape you're in, Tennyson," he retorted.

Gwen threw her head in her hands as Ben replied, "They don't actually _grade_ you on your physical, Kevin, and besides, I just had mine done a few weeks ago so I could apply for soccer camp. How the heck did you manage to get yours?"

"Easy. I forged it."

"Figures," Ben replied, rolling his eyes.

"So, Gwen, do you have yours done yet?"

She looked up and replied, "Karate."

Kevin shrugged, and there was silence for a bit. Kevin rocked back in forth in Ben's chair until he received a hiss to stop from Gwen. "So…" he started, attempting to make some conversation. "Neither of you are driving my car, just so you know."

"I already know how to drive, Kevin, you know that," Ben said.

"I don't. So you won't teach me?" Gwen said innocently. She'd been waiting all day to flirt a little bit.

Kevin was caught off-guard. "Um… uh… Er, I have a strict no non-Kevin-drivers rule…" he said, trailing off, so she put on a tiny, hardly noticeable pout. It seemed to do the trick, because he quickly finished, "…but I might make a small allowance in your case."

"Hey, that's not fair!" exclaimed Ben, sounding stronger than he had in a while. He was oblivious, or at least pretending to be oblivious, to the flirting and tension in the air.

Finding it immensely entertaining to upset Ben, even a little, Kevin played it up for all it was worth. "Yeah, the day you guys turn sixteen, I'm taking Gwen out for a driving lesson."

Gwen smiled. "Sorry, Kevin, but Ben and I always do everything together on our birthday. Tradition and all that, you know."

"That's right!" Ben shouted (or at least tried to), happy his cousin came to his defense.

"Seriously? You guys have a cousin and cousin day?" Kevin said, as if it was the most absurd and ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"Uh huh," Ben replied.

Gwen added, "Yep. We didn't always like it though. It started out as joint parties when we were little-"

"-and then went into amusement park days with Grandpa Max-" Ben chimed in.

"and now, we actually can stand being in the same room with each other for more than five seconds," Gwen finished, feigning pride like a two-year-old admitting that she'd just used the potty all by herself.

Kevin laughed, shaking the chair with each breath. "Aw, I bet you guys have a scrapbook with a page for each year!"

Ben pretended to be insulted. "_Only_ a page for each year? Who said we didn't have a complete twenty-page scrapbook for every birthday?"

They all laughed hysterically for a while, until Ben fell off the bed after a particularly hard snicker.

Ben didn't even notice he fell, and the whole thing just made Kevin cackle even louder and more obnoxiously, but Gwen's full-hearted giggles abruptly stopped the second her cousin crashed to the ground.

"Ohmigod, Ben, are you okay?" she asked, throwing herself on the ground next to him.

"Wh-wh-what?" he inquired between laughs. "Oh," he said, realizing that he was on the ground. "Oh! I'm fine, Gwen- no need to worry."

_Too late for that_, they both thought at once. Kevin, just now figuring out that he was the last one laughing, quickly shut his mouth to save himself from embarrassment. He hoped no one noticed the tiny blush creeping up from his neck.

Gwen brushed herself off, stood up, and tossed her long red hair behind her. She saw him fall… And she freaked out. She was still hyperventilating.

"Gwen," Ben said, genuinely concerned now, "are _you_ okay?"

"I-I'm fine. Just a little startled."

Kevin just stared. He really didn't know what to say to her. How do you promise someone that nothing bad will ever happen? How do you make them understand, in the mist of reminiscing about good times and in the aftermath of bad, that everything will be alright and happy in the end?

He couldn't, so he kept his mouth shut. "You okay there, Gwen?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said, though not very convincingly.

Ben scrambled to his feet from the floor and put an arm around his cousin, who was now sitting on his bed again. "I'm okay, Gwen. And I'd love to be able to say that everything can be perfect forever and we can go on with our lives knowing that nothing can ever hurt us, but I can't. So you're going to have to trust me that I'm okay right now, we're going to get to the bottom of this, and that you have nothing to worry about right now. Can you do that, Gwen?"

Her head was in her hands again now, but not out of embarrassment for Kevin- she was truly distraught now. "Yes, I can, Ben."

The sixteen-year-old in the chair was marveled. He hated to admit it, but Ben had a way with words. Where as Kevin had always resorted to actions to explain his thoughts (like punching people, kicking people's asses… and kissing Gwen on the cheek the night before when he was at a loss of words), Ben usually spoke out his feelings before he acted. It was a trait Kevin silently admired, though he'd never let anyone know that. It was kind of annoying when they had these sappy cousinly moments, though- he felt like a third wheel sometimes. He had to say something…

"We're going to be okay, guys," he said suddenly as he rose from the chair and shoved it back under the desk.

Ben blinked as he realized that Kevin was addressing both of the Tennysons. He nodded in response, not taking his arm away from Gwen.

He still wasn't sure he liked the idea of Kevin and Gwen together. Ben knew it was a matter of time before something happened, and he liked the concept of his cousin and his friend as a couple. But he just didn't understand Kevin sometimes- it was annoying how hard it was to read him. He was always so unexpected, and it was almost obnoxious. But Gwen seemed to comprehend him, and he made Gwen happy, so he was all for it in the end.

Kevin made to leave the room, and then paused. "Oh, I almost forgot- you two better figure out what you guys want to for your birthday, so we can… Yeah, Well, I hope you guys don't mind having me along."

Ben smiled, and withdrew his arm from around Gwen. "We'd be honored to have your presence at our birthday, Mister Levin."

Gwen giggled, and Kevin knew everything was okay again. "Don't push your luck, _Mister_ Tennyson."

And with that, he left.

Turning back to Ben, Gwen saw a very tired boy with a look of amusement on his face. "Figured… it wouldn't be long…" he muttered with a yawn.

With a small chuckle, she gently guided her cousin into a reclining position and placed his blanket over him. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Gwen looked at the digital clock on the desk. Only a little after 5 at night, but he had a big day, she thought.

Exiting the room, she ran into her Aunt Sandra, who was carrying an absurd load of laundry through the hallway, blocking her vision.

Tripping over her own feet, the women wobbled, letting some of the dirty clothing tumble towards the floor, as the rules of gravity dictate. Before they could reach the ground, Gwen emitted a bright pinkish-purple mass to catch them.

Sandra forcibly threw the laundry into the washer, and pushed the door close with a satisfying slam. "You too, Gwen?" she inquired, more amused than shocked. She fiddled with the detergent and the knobs and buttons on the washing machine.

"Um, yeah, I guess Aunt Sandra," her niece answered sheepishly.

The woman turned around, and, putting her elbow on top of the washer, she rested her head on her hand. Tilting her chin up to look at Gwen, she calmly said, "Thanks for taking care of him, Gwen. I know how hard you try."

Gwen wanted to find something spectacularly deep to say in response to this, but could only bring herself to nod.

She skipped down the stairs, said a quick goodbye to her uncle, who was once again reading in his chair, and ran out of the house, straight into Kevin.

"What're you still doing here?" she said, curious.

"I'm pretty sure I was your ride here, Gwen," Kevin answered, smirking.

Her mouth formed a tiny O shape. But she didn't feel like going home- not yet.

As if he read her mind, Kevin plopped down on the cement step right in front of the door. "Ben asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm surprised he made it that long without passing out," Gwen replied as she sat down next to him.

He looked at her. "You know, he's going to be okay," Kevin said, with a slight amount of caution in his tone.

Gwen rested her chin in her hands. "I know, but… it's still so scary. Knowing that I might have lost him. It might be crazy, but I love him. I mean he's my cousin, but we're so close. Ken is my brother, but he's always been the cool older brother. He's always had his own life, and although he tried to include Ben and me as much as he could…" It suddenly seemed so trivial. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this," she moaned.

Kevin shrugged, his expression not changing at all. "I don't mind."

She looked up and smiled at him. "Well, Ben and I are so close in age, so we've always been close, even if we hated it when we were younger. But he's my cousin, and I love him. We don't always get along, but…" she trailed off.

"You wouldn't want anything to happen to him?" Kevin finished for her, still remaining absolutely stoic.

"Yeah, exactly." She smiled again. "But seeing him hurt like that… So weak. But he's so obnoxiously brave! I know when he's afraid, and I hate it, but he always hides it; he always puts everyone else first! It's so annoying!"

Gwen had perked up a bit; this was just a bit of ranting now, instead of a deep conversation.

Kevin had been thinking the same things himself. Another trait he admired in Tennyson- but he'd never tell!

Pretending he didn't understand, Kevin said, "So he annoys you because he's so brave, but you hate it when he's afraid?"

She saw right through his act. That was one of the things they liked so much about each other- Gwen could read him like a picture book, so he enjoyed having someone wordlessly understand him and she like that she was the only one who knew how to decode his thoughts.

"Stop trying to be stupid, Kevin, I'm serious. What if…"she whispered as the smile slowly drained from her face as the words she was saying seeped in. "What if something else happens, and Ben…?" she trailed off, not wanting to say _dies_.

"He won't," Kevin said, trying to be reassuring. "He might be a wimp, but Ben's not stupid. He'll be okay, Gwen," and he squeezed her hand.

The tiny grin was back again. "Well, I better get you home," Kevin stated, pulling her to her feet.

Gwen was still smiling as she said, "Thanks again, Kevin."

And so they walked, hand-in-hand, to Kevin's green car.

* * *

If anyone had been passing by the Tennyson's house in that moment, they probably would have stopped and stared at the sight.

They would have seen an adult man standing in front of a green sports car, attempting unsuccessfully to stuff many bags of luggage into the trunk.

They would have seen a tall, muscular boy wearing a black t-shirt wiping sweat from his pale skin, as the summer heat rained down upon the world. He took a sip from a plastic water bottle, threw it on the ground, and crushing it with his foot.

A girl with long red hair was talking to two of the people, apparently her mother and father, as they gave her hugs and seemed to say a lot of things that she found annoying and appalling.

And exiting the house was another boy with what must have been his mother, carrying a backpack. She seemed to be trying to take the box from him, and he brushed her aside, her complaints not breaking his stride a bit. The odd thing was, this boy was wearing a green jacket, even in the summer. If one looked even closer, they would see the ends of bandages sticking out from under the cuffs.

What was actually happening was this:

Carl Tennyson was frustrated, because he couldn't fit all of the luggage, enough to last the entire summer, into the trunk.

Kevin had just finished tuning up his car, checking to make sure everything was safe enough for an extended road trip. Thirsty, he chugged down the entire water bottle in one swig, but didn't really want to step on it. What he _really_ wanted to do was absorb the damn thing (wouldn't it be cool to see himself be transparent?), but Gwen's parents were around, and he wasn't sure if they knew he had powers.

Gwen was getting… a sex talk. It was so aggravating- nothing would happen between her and Kevin; she wanted to take it slow. And besides, who was she going to run into on the road? Aliens, maybe, but boys? No. She'd miss her parents, but this was just infuriating. She certainly hoped Kevin didn't hear them going on like this.

This leaves the boy exiting the house and his mother, Ben and Sandra Tennyson. He was trying to explain to his mother that yes, he knew that he had just been released from the hospital three days ago and no, carrying a backpack full of water bottles and granola bars would not kill him.

Carl eventually employed Kevin's help in jamming the bags into the trunk, and slipped him a credit card and an envelope of bills somewhere between shoving in Gwen's books, Ben's soccer ball, and his own spare car parts.

"You kids really need all this junk?" Carl asked, tired.

"YES!" all three bellowed at once, before falling into hysterics once more.

The tearful parents said goodbye to their children, telling them to keep in touch.

And then the girl and the two boys got into the car and left, leaving the four adults alone in the sweltering summer sun.

"Be safe," Sandra Tennyson whispered to her son, already down the block, wishing that by willing it, it would be true.

She too went into the house, hoping that all would be well.

**Author's notes: So the team has left for their road trip, which won't be much like the one in the original Ben 10 because I've probably only seen five episodes of that (I'm here for Alien Force). Boring chapter, I know. There won't be all of this sappy stuff soon- a little action is coming up after a while. **

**There's been a lot of Gwevin, and I know some of you like it, and some of you hate it. But I want you to understand that a lot of that's going to fade into the background for a lot of this, so if you are an anti-Gwevin, you can still read this fic in peace, I think.**

**Grr, I hate filler chapters. I always feel the need to explain why the chapter's so freaking stupid, but it needs to be there to establish background.**

**Please review, guys! I only got one new review, and although the hit count keeps rising, I'd love to hear feedback! Thanks a lot to everyone who has reviewed so far.**

**-Marty :-D

* * *

**

_Edit (August 2009): I've decided to leave off the story here, as I think all of the current loose ends are tied up. I originally intended for this to continue on for a while, but I like where this stops. Sorry to anyone else who was looking forward to an update. Thanks for reading!_**  
**


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